I present my first (and possibly last) mosaic. Having finally done a fair sized one, my respect for mosaic builders has sky-rocketed. Though seemingly simple in technique, I'd argue that mosaics are among the hardest, most tedious, things to create from Lego.

I call this piece: "The Silent Girl"

Challenge: Create an ORIGINAL Lego mosaic.
Problem: Ian needs a reference picture.
Solution: Take an original reference picture (photographed by yours truly on 10/27/12) and turn it into a Lego mosaic with a bit of an artistic twist.

For some reason this reminds me of the graveyard scene in Phantom of The Opera... Weird... Anyways fantastic job here, Ian! You have inspired me to try my hand at mosaics! I Especially like the red background.

This is a great piece of Lego art! The expression is rather unsettling, as are the red sky and skeletal looking tree. I'm not the most experienced in mosaics, and most likely will never do one, but this is most certainly pleasing to the common eye. Incidentally, would you mind giving some of my MOC's a comment (and like if you like it)? My main stuff is mainly medieval type builds, although I put a Ninjago (yes, the official brand) twist to my biggest thing. EDIT: silly me, I made a typo ;)

Its unfortunate you didn't get through, especially under such controversial circumstances. However, I for one really liked your mosaic! Having done my first mosaic not too long ago, I can say that you really need to have done a mosaic to appreciate the detailing and difficulty involved. Either way, hold your head high at having whipped out a quality creation.

Wow! For your first shot at a mosaic this is beyond good. As has been stated, the atmosphere is awesome and you totally nailed the aspect of Halloween-esque creepiness, while still showing marvelous technique. Great job!

Quoting Shannon Ocean
Sorry mate my vote went to Heath. I like your mosaic, especially for it’s Halloween feel! But I think a couple of Heath’s builds worked better. Mosaics are hard, you are right about that! I think the trick is to choose an image that works best in blocky, graphic, bold colours. The photo you took looks very 3D and that’s one of the hardest things to capture in a mosaic. Thanks for playing so well and getting this far in the mocolympics!!

Oh well, thanks for the work you've put into judging the MocOlympics this year.

Sorry mate my vote went to Heath. I like your mosaic, especially for it’s Halloween feel! But I think a couple of Heath’s builds worked better. Mosaics are hard, you are right about that! I think the trick is to choose an image that works best in blocky, graphic, bold colours. The photo you took looks very 3D and that’s one of the hardest things to capture in a mosaic. Thanks for playing so well and getting this far in the mocolympics!!

Then I of course respect and accept your decision. The wording of your previous comment just seemed to put equal weight on "mind games" and build. Thanks for clarifying and for the work you've put into judging this contest. Considering that Heath beat me last year, it never crossed my mind to underestimate him. Like everyone else, I was only under the impression that he'd run out of time.

I'll begin by saying that, as you're a judge, you are unquestionably entitled to your opinion. And as far as builds are concerned, Heath produced several excellent pieces of art, and on that account is a fair contender for your vote. I'm a little surprised, however, that you're supportive of the "mind games" aspect (I did not know that "mind games" were part of the judging criteria). As far as I'm aware, that's never been done before in the games and is not characteristic of the Olympics. As such, I don't think your comment about me "letting my guard down" is justified. I maintained my vision, even after seeing Heath's first entry.

Very impressive artistic abilities here. It's a great job to have made that mosaic from the photo, with all of it's different shades on the face. I like how you've used those grille parts to add different textures and the red background really makes the face stand out.

Very nicely done for a first! I've been wanting to do something like this for a while now. Mosaics here on MOCpages seem always to be underrated. It's great to see builders start to explore in that style of building.
-LB Senior

Quoting Heath 'kik36' Flor
Hey Ian, no worries on the comments. Sorry for the sneak attack, but no one said pirates were honorable when on dry land. :P In all seriousness, you did an excellent job in a category that is really not a desirable one! LOL If you don't make it this round, I will be seriously frightened with what you have in store for me the next time we face off! You're an excellent builder, and no matter what the outcome you should be fiercely proud of dipping your toes in unfamiliar territory and pulling off a fantastic MOC for your portfolio!

Quoting Thoy Bradley
Intentional eh? Well then I guess my feedback about its creepiness, while thinking it wasn't intentional, only proves how well you accomplished your goal :)

Didn't mention the "artistic twist" for no reason! :) And in all honesty (here Ian goes again...feel free to chuckle) "creepy" was not--as you rightly assumed--my initial approach. The eyes, for instance, were originally a mixture of dark blay and black. Once I'd tried all black though, I was tickled by the slightly "unsettling" appearance of the thing, and with Halloween hanging 'round...you get the picture. So yeah...there's an unasked for, full blown, over-the-top description presenting the evolution of my mosaic. Yep. Think I'm gonna' go write a book now. Thanks for putting up with me Thoy! Glad you at least got a laugh or two out of it (I know I'm overly earnest). ;) I'll tune in and calm down someday, but judging by this ridiculously long response, probably not anytime soon.

Hey Ian, no worries on the comments. Sorry for the sneak attack, but no one said pirates were honorable when on dry land. :P In all seriousness, you did an excellent job in a category that is really not a desirable one! LOL If you don't make it this round, I will be seriously frightened with what you have in store for me the next time we face off! You're an excellent builder, and no matter what the outcome you should be fiercely proud of dipping your toes in unfamiliar territory and pulling off a fantastic MOC for your portfolio!

The lack of Lego shades available have turned what looks like a statue of a smiling lady, into an almost creepy horror picture. I think its the eyes, though after comparing the mosaic to the photo, I couldn't think of any other way myself - they just give it such a hollow look. The black tree branches and the red background only add to the creepiness feel. Overall a really cool mosaic, while the effect is probably un-intentional I think it also adds another level of atmosphere to the image. Well done! ~Thoy

I like it

Thoy Bradley

November 4, 2012

Intentional eh? Well then I guess my feedback about its creepiness, while thinking it wasn't intentional, only proves how well you accomplished your goal :)

Quoting Liam Covey
This is actually really well done. I would have gone with a more muted background color, but otherwise, this is a really fantastic piece. Very inspiring. We'd love to see it added to this group - http://mocpages.com/group.php/21694 Again, awesome build!

Liam, thank you very much for the invite, I'm most honored. However, I simply don't join groups all that much, so I think I'll pass. Nothing personal dude, I'd say the same to most people. Thanks again for thinking of me though, and for your kind comment! Cheers! ~Ian

This is actually really well done. I would have gone with a more muted background color, but otherwise, this is a really fantastic piece. Very inspiring. We'd love to see it added to this group - http://mocpages.com/group.php/21694 Again, awesome build!

Quoting Thoy Bradley
The lack of Lego shades available have turned what looks like a statue of a smiling lady, into an almost creepy horror picture. I think its the eyes, though after comparing the mosaic to the photo, I couldn't think of any other way myself - they just give it such a hollow look. The black tree branches and the red background only add to the creepiness feel. Overall a really cool mosaic, while the effect is probably un-intentional I think it also adds another level of atmosphere to the image. Well done! ~Thoy

It actually was rather intentional, taking into account the time of year and all. I played with several Halloween ideas. The title: "The Silent Girl" was intended to add to that effect. As for shades (unrelated to the creepiness factor), I used 1x2 grille tiles to try and create a few more. Thanks for the comment Thoy.

Quoting Zabou =)
Wow! For a first, it's very well done and very accurate to the original! Congratulations! Best of luck with your judges!
Ps:I've got an AFOL at home and he is still in the race. Can you find who he is? You've some clues on my page... =)

Quoting Deus Otiosus
Not bad... Did you use any computer program to make a sketch?

Good question, yes I did. I studied how the the professionals go about creating their mosaics. As a result, I designed a reference graph in GIMP to help me get the gist of the statue's color scheme and proportions. Thanks for the comment!

Wow! For a first, it's very well done and very accurate to the original! Congratulations! Best of luck with your judges!
Ps:I've got an AFOL at home and he is still in the race. Can you find who he is? You've some clues on my page... =)

Oh dear. So glad that theme went out of my way, mosaics really are a skill. Looks like you pulled it off great: the eyes reveal a bit of perspective. I wonder what Heath produced; good luck with your judges!